Halfway through the year already? How did that happen?
I signed the 50 Book Pledge earlier this year, so for the first time ever, I actually have a record of what the heck I’ve been reading. I’m afraid I’m not a very consistent or predictable reader. I pick books the way a crow picks trinkets. But let’s see if there are any patterns to be found in six months’ worth of lit…
Middle Grade
The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy
Summer Days, Starry Nights, by Vikki VanSickle
The Fourth Stall, by Chris Rylander
Tuesdays at the Castle, by Jessica Day George
Nothing but the Truth, by Kit Pearson
Days that End in Y, by Vikki VanSickle
Flutter, by Erin Moulton
Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry
Alvin Ho, by Lenore Look
Every Soul a Star, by Wendy Mass
Young Adult
Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth E. Wein
Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell
Brief History of Montmaray, by Michelle Cooper
The FitzOsbornes in Exile, by Michelle Cooper
The FitzOsbornes at War, by Michelle Cooper
Friday Society, by Adrienne Kress
Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman
Classics
Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
Contemporary
Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver
Where’d You Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple
Painted Girls, Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson
419, by Will Ferguson
Fantasy
River of Stars, by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
Mystery
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
Non-Fiction
Deep Survival, by Laurence Gonzales
Bomb, by Steve Sheinkin
Whew. That’s 28 books so far — a lot less than I’d like to read, but as many as I can fit between work and play.
Back to my crow-ish habits: four of these books I read because they were lying around the house, courtesy of my kids; three were gifts; three were by people I know; one was recommended by a bookstore employee; two were by previously-loved writers (both of which disappointed); eight I read because of on-line reviews or recommendations.
Two of my very favourite reads of the year so far were the Montmaray series and Where’d You Go, Bernadette, both recommended by friends. (Thank you, Kallie and Rachelle!)
Which makes me think… why aren’t you people telling me what to read more often? I am open to suggestions!